| LESSON OVERVIEW
The main objectives of this lesson are to:
- read an article about how fairy tales affect child development;
- explore phrases inspired by fairy tales;
- talk about fairy tales and make up a modern version.
In this lesson, students discuss different aspects of fairy tales. They share their experiences, review expressions related to fairy tales (e.g. break the spell, damsel in distress, witch hunt) and talk about fairy tales they know. Students also debate the pros and cons of fairy tales for children, retell stories in their own words and create a plot for a modern fairy tale, using the expressions from the lesson.
This is a Critical Reading Club worksheet. With this format, students need to read an online article at home and do the exercises in the classroom. Learn more about how to use such worksheets and their benefits in our post.
ACTIVITIES
This lesson begins with a warm-up. Students write words they associate with ‘fairy tales’. They then compare their lists and discuss similarities and differences. Afterwards, students discuss fairy tales and their impact. Following that, they read sentences about life situations, identify fairy-tale expressions (e.g. follow the breadcrumbs) and explain what they mean. After that, students connect the expressions to fairy tales and discuss them. Next, they review a table of advantages (e.g. imagination, emotional skills) and disadvantages (e.g. stereotypes, unrealistic scenarios) of fairy tales in children’s development. Students discuss them by explaining, giving examples and adding ideas. Moving on, they get a card with a summary of debates on fairy tales. Students read it and then retell it in their own words. They explain why the idea matters when choosing fairy tales for children. Finally, students create a plot for a modern fairy tale by completing tasks.
ARTICLE
WORKSHEETS
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I just used this lesson for an advanced learner as a break from more ‘bread and butter’ business topics, and they loved it! I thought it might be too ‘abstract’ for a business professional, but they really appreciated stretching both their thinking and their language skills. They thoroughly enjoyed coming up with their own modern fairy tale at the end. Great lesson, thanks!
Thanks, I’m glad the lesson worked well with your business students 🙂
Great topic! However, does “witch hunt” come from fairytales? I thought it comes from historical context.
Thanks for pointing that out! You’re right – “witch hunt” does come from historical events, but it’s also a common trope in fairytales.
The link to the article doesn’t work
It works fine on our side. Could you please try opening it in a different browser or in incognito mode?